


honeysuckle kisses

by snowfallmando



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Gen, Reader-Insert, This is like Aaron but not, he's a forest spirit, he's cute okay, think lore olympus kinda thing, this is cottagecore fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:48:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27751816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowfallmando/pseuds/snowfallmando
Summary: In which you find love in a spirit as old as the Earth herself.
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner/Reader
Comments: 3
Kudos: 28





	honeysuckle kisses

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr, @agenthotchner!

It all started when you decided to move. The city had become too much for you, and you had decided to go somewhere where you'd actually be able to be alone with your thoughts. You craved a simpler existence, one where the only sounds you’d be able to hear were the ones of the Earth - the wind through the trees, the hoot of the owl in the night and the nightingale in the early morning. That was your peace, and it was everything you needed.

So, now here you were here - in a cabin you’d paid quite a bit of money for - in the woods by a gently flowing river, feeling for once like you could actually breathe. This was freedom, it was the feeling of belonging to something bigger than yourself and having a slice of the world to call your own.

Your favorite part of it so far was probably the animals - you seemed to attract all kinds, from the sweetest of songbirds to the littlest fawns. You'd lay out breadcrumbs and seeds for the birds and sweet apple slices for the deer to munch on while you watched from the swing on your little front porch. It had become your daily routine, one that you held dearly because it brought a sense of understanding between yourself and your woodland neighbors.

Unbeknownst to you, someone was watching you in return. The presence was pleased, grateful to you for your kindness to the animals and the land around you. And so the spirit - the presence - protected you. He kept the occasional bear cub from wandering too close to where you lived, kept the trees from dropping limbs on your home, and kept the wind and rain from ruining the garden he’d watched you work so hard to maintain.

You thought it was just incredible luck, but instead, it was the spirit of the forest. The first time you ever had a glimpse of the spirit, you were walking along a path toward the river. It was a lovely summer evening, pleasantly warm and beautiful, and you were heading for the berry patch. The wind was blowing through the trees, a golden aura around you as the sunlight lit the air ablaze with it’s glow. There was nothing to worry about here, not here in your little safe haven by the river.

The sound of a branch breaking somewhere behind you alerted you - and when you turned, you came nearly face to face with a huge bear that was rumbling towards you. It was a few feet away yet, but it would be too late for you to turn and run - and you couldn’t exactly outrun a bear. You watched as it began stalking toward you, and you backed up as slowly as you could - hoping that it would lose interest in you, or that the end would come as quickly and painlessly as possible.

“Hey!” A deep, rough voice called from a few feet to your left- and when you turned your head, that was the first glimpse you ever caught of him. You’re looking toward the river now, and there he is, standing tall and broad on the riverbank. It’s a man, that much you can see - there’s not much time to study him, but you see enough of him to note a dark beard, raven hair, and a fierce expression on his face. “Hey, over here!”

It takes your panicked brain a moment to understand what he’s trying to do - he’s distracting the bear long enough to allow you to get somewhere safe. But how can you leave this stranger to get mauled and possibly killed? That would haunt you for the rest of your life if you allowed that to happen - especially because he seemed ready to give up his own life in order to save yours. It made no sense - who was he?

Instead of turning and running, you stayed by the edge of the trees and watched as this man seemed to just - coax the bear out of the bad mood it had previously been in. Rather than swiping a huge paw at him, the bear just… stopped. It was amazing, the way it seemed to suddenly calm down before it turned and walked in the opposite direction - the man was left standing in the clearing, hands on his hips. “You can come out now,” He called over his shoulder, “You’re not in danger.”

Well, after that entire display, you were inclined to believe him. “Who are you?” Was the first question out of your mouth as you stepped out of the shadows and back into the sunlight by the river. He’d turned to face you - and you were immediately struck by his beauty. Eyes dark as the Earth after rain, with hair black and shiny as a raven’s wing. His skin was tanned, accentuated by a closely shaven beard, and a beauty mark on his right cheek. He was gorgeous - and the air of mystery around him only lent to the attraction.

“You can call me… Aaron.” His voice was deep, rolling over what seemed to be a hint of an accent that you couldn’t quite name. “I protect these forests. I was nearby when I sensed that you needed my help - and it seems like I got here just in time. Forgive Bartholomew, he was in a grouchy mood and was going to take it out on you.”

“The… bear has a name.” Your words came out confused, flat, and his brows furrowed as he studied your face. You were in shock - unsure if he just had a screw loose or if you’d actually been killed by that bear and this was just a weird vision of Heaven - or maybe Hell.

One eyebrow now raised, the handsome man - Aaron - nods, “Well, yes, most everything in this forest has a name, just like every human on this Earth has one. Why should animals be any different?” 

Well, he had a point. “What do you mean by you ‘protect these forests’? And how exactly did you get that bear to calm down and just… walk away without mauling you?” You were aware that you were asking a lot of questions, but you really couldn’t help your curiosity. He owed you nothing - he’d just saved your life, after all - but you couldn’t just let this go without some answers.

And clearly, he was happy to have your attention by the way he was smiling at you. He was so beautiful when he smiled, it was as if he’d just aged backward ten years, mirth lighting up his brown eyes. “I am what the humans have referred to as Cernunnos. It’s a mouthful, so you can call me Aaron. There are many legends about me - mostly that I wander the woods looking like a wild man, and that I am the god of trees, of lust and fertility, and that I am the protector of the forests. Some of that is true, and some of it, not so much.”

“Well, you don’t look like a wild man. More like an avid camper, or a hiker.” You comment, gesturing to his neat hair and trimmed beard, “Are you always out here? Are you the reason why I’ve felt so safe out here?” You have to ask, because truly, he seems to have done so much for you and you’d only just met.

“Yes,” He answers, smiling at you once again - your breath catches in your throat, and the grin gets wider. “I’ve seen how kind you are to the animals, how gentle you are with the plants and the trees. You offer these woods your kindness and respect, and so you’ve earned my protection. I spend my time where I’m needed, and it seems I’m needed here.”

The sun is sinking lower, and a cool breeze has begun making its way across the river to you. Aaron’s eyebrows furrow again when you shiver - before you can protest, he’s sliding his flannel over your shoulders. “Come, let me escort you home. The forests are beautiful, but very dangerous at night. You could trip and get hurt, or run into another disgruntled animal.”

How could you protest such a wonderful offer? It would give you a chance to ask him more questions, get to know him as much as you could - who knew how long it would be before you got another chance like this? “Okay. But only if you promise to answer more of my questions.”

That earns you a soft chuckle - it’s like music to your ears as he links his arm with yours. It’s so gentlemanly and polite that your heart skips as a beat as you fall into step with him. “Whatever you want, little one, I will always have time for you.” And isn’t that just the sweetest thing you’ve ever heard?

“Okay, that will earn you a kiss on the cheek if you’re not careful.” You warn, and the look on his face is passive for a moment. (‘Great,’you think, ‘I overstepped already.’) But the next second brings a small, almost shy smile on his lips, and he nods, “I will have to pile on the compliments then won’t I?”

You nearly melt into a puddle at his feet at that - if you hadn’t just met a literal god you’d have kissed him already for his sweetness and seeming over protectiveness he had for you. Why would this man want to keep you safe, out of all of the humans in the world? What made you so special to him?

-

“Little one?” His voice snapped you out of your thoughts, and you turned from the dough you were currently kneading for bread to face the kitchen doorway. There he was, your Cereunnos, your god of the forest - dressed in basketball shorts and a Yankees t-shirt, a crooked smile on his lips. “You’re thinking about the day we met again, aren’t you?”

Busted. “Maybe. Just sometimes it’s hard to believe that someone like you would want to be with a human like me.” As far as you were concerned, you weren’t anything special - at least, not to yourself. But to Aaron, you were everything. His loneliness was nonexistent with you, and he’d learned so much about the human world just from being with you.

He sighs, drifting into the kitchen to tug you away from the task at hand. He ignores your light protests, drawing you into his arms and against the warm strength of his body, “My darling, don’t you realize how special you are? How kind, and warm, and loving? You took my existence and flipped it upside down and gave me a reason to want to live - really live again.”

You flush at his words, hands resting on his broad shoulders as he smiles down at you, “It has been an honor to protect you, but it has been even more of an honor to just let go and fall in love with you. Sharing my life - my existence - with you has been the best decision I have ever made. I have never loved another - will never love another - the way that I love you, little one.”

You bury your face against his chest, hiding your tears against the worn texture of his t-shirt. “I love you too, Aaron. So much so that sometimes I can hardly breathe.” You’re okay with occasionally losing your breath - it’s a small price to pay to be with him. “I want you forever.”

His hand strokes through your hair, skimming along your jawline as he brings your chin up - and like always, his lips are as soft as the petals of a rose when he kisses you, slow and deep. It steals the breath from your lungs, only for him to breathe startling life back into you. You fall in love all over again with his kiss. “Forever,” He whispers against your lips - it’s both a plea and a promise.

“Always,” You murmur back - a promise of your own.


End file.
